Monday, November 10, 2008

1. I painted some Graffiti

And for the first time, when I backed off to have a look at it, it actually looked better than I thought rather than worse. By no means a masterpiece, but I'm getting there. Here's a picture:

It's a plant eating dinosaur. No teeth. I was gonna do a dragon, but Nova 10 Ordem, the premier graffiti crew here in Salvador just did a big mural of Caverna do Dragão and I didn't want anyone to think I was ripping them off.

2. I went to the craft fair

And came home a bit early because I was discouraged as I sold almost nothing.

On the way there I took this little film of a very popular spot for graffiteiros, and also for political propaganda. What's interesting in this short film, in case you can't figure it out, is that my piece with the snakes is the only one that survived the political campaign. I feel lucky, and I'm also curious- why did mine get spared? Does it mean the political propagandists liked it?

The part of the wall that appears towards the end of the film is where I did the piece from which I copped my avatar:

3. Evani and Lucas were at a bus stop...

...And Evani heard a noise, like a faucet running. Or a hose. Or someone taking a piss out the window of a bus. Bahian men have no shame (correction: some Bahian men) and will whip it out just about anywhere. I remember one time driving on the highway and some middle-aged guy was facing the oncoming traffic and relieving himself. One time we were on a boat and this drunk guy who kept stepping on my feet squatted down and pulled his business out of the leg of his shorts and pissed right on the deck of the boat. On my very first visit to Brazil I went to see a band, was taking a leak in the toilet, and some Bahiano came in and just pissed in the corner of the bathroom on the floor. I am feigning indignation- I see it so often I'm jaded now.

And here was this guy pissing out the window of the bus. I'm sure the bus driver and the cobrador (who collects the money, and sits at the back of the bus) saw him doing this and didn't say anything. I think people here generally let others get away with this kind of thing because the people who actually do this kind of thing have a tendency to go psycho if you say something, so they just sigh and shake their heads.

Evani grabbed Lucas and hurried him around the back of the bus stop, just in the nick of time. The guy suddenly aimed higher and pissed all over the people waiting at the bus stop (indignation no longer feigned). A few of them, enraged, went and pounded on the door of the bus, but the busdriver just drove off.

There's a word for people like this, they're called sacizeiros. Troublemakers. Sacizeiros like to brag about how they faz acontecer, or 'make things happen.' What they make happen is trouble and/or fights. These are people you want to stay well away from here in Salvador. They've got nothing to lose and they've got a bad attitude and they want you to start something so they can stomp on you.

Thanks Pedra! Yeah that thing about the bus is the kind of story that Evani tells me that I get all incredulous- not because I think she's making it up, just because I can't believe it happened at all.